City of Culture bid plans underway in Lancashire

Lancashire could be putting together a City of Culture bid, it has been revealed.

Bosses at Marketing Lancashire have revealed that they are in the early stages of putting a big for the title UK City of Culture - which can bring in a major economic boost for the winning city.

As the bid is in the early stages, they say it could focus either on one Lancashire city or be a county-wide bid.

Rachel McQueen, chief executive of Marketing Lancashire, told the BBC they had worked closely "with cultural organisations across the county to develop a cultural narrative that brings to life the wealth of artistic and creative projects, organisations and venues that we have".

She added: "We're exploring all kinds of opportunities that could provide a bigger platform for our cultural partners, including UK City of Culture."

The City of Culture title brings with it increased profile and investment for the winning city - and has seen last year's winner Hull staging several national exhibitions including the Turner Prize.